The Simple Guide To Participles

As a speaker of the English language, you make use of
different parts of speech ever day. You might not think about the grammar that
you are using, but it is there. But what happens if you would like to know more about grammar â or maybe you are planning
to teach English to foreigners and have to
know. Suddenly you may not feel so at home with your home language as what you
thought â but no need to worry, there is no need to be a walking grammar
textbook. This simple guide will give you a reminder of the deeper workings of
the language that you use every day. Whether you need to know more about
participles for yourself or have to teach them to someone else, this simple
guide is all you need.

What is a participle?

A participle is a
type of verb, but it does not just perform the same function as a verb â this
is why it gets its own grammatical category. A participle is a verb that can
also function as an adjective and an adverb. When used as verbs, participles
are combined with auxiliary verbs to create tenses.

The two types of
participles

There are two types of participles: past participles and
present participles.

A participle is a type of verb, and to identify it (and to
understand how it is formed) it's best to know the different forms that a verb
can take. These forms are: The base form, the past simple form, the past
participle and the present participle e.g.

In the above examples, "glide" is a regular verb and "run"
is an irregular verb. Regular verbs have past simple and past participle forms
that end with "ed". Irregular verbs have past simple and past participle forms
that do not end in "ed" (and both forms can differ) - there are no definite rules to how each
irregular verb is formed, so all that someone can do to know these different forms
is to practice the language and learn through experience.

The difference between
past simple and the past participle

To test if an irregular verb is in its past simple or past
participle form, add "have" or "having" before the verb. The past simple will
not make sense if "have" or "having" is placed before it, but the past
participle will e.g.

I have swum in
the ocean many times before. (We cannot say "I have swam in the ocean many
times before")

I swam in the
ocean yesterday. (We cannot say "I swum in the ocean yesterday")

Having broken the
window, I had to pay for it. (We cannot say "Having broke the window, I had to
pay for it")

Please note: The "have" or "having" test is used with the
verb on its own â "have" or "having" does not need to be present within the
sentence itself for a verb to be a past participle, which is the case when the
past participle is used as a verb form (e.g.The window was broken
yesterday).

Using participles in
sentences

The past participle is the form of a verb not ending in
"ing" that can be used as an adjective or adverb. When used as a verb, it is
combined with one or more auxiliary verbs.

E.g. Don't step on the broken
glass; She looked disappointed; They
fell defeated to the ground; I have run this race many times.

"Broken" describes the glass, "disappointed" describes how
she felt, "defeated" is an adverb of manner that describes how they fell and
"run" is combined with the auxiliary verb "have" to form a tense.

A present participle is the "ing" form of a verb (base form
+ "ing") used an adjective or an adverb. Used as a verb, it is combined with
one or more auxiliary verbs.

E.g. The trip was very exciting;
That beeping sound doesn't stop;
They flew screeching out of the
aviary; I have been waiting here for
hours.

"Exciting" describes the trip, "beeping" describes the sound
and "screeching" is an adverb of manner that describes how they flew (screeching at the same time). Present participles as
adverbs are not common. "Waiting" has been combined with the auxiliary verbs
"have" and "been" to create a verb form.

Keep it simple

If a verb passes the "have/having" test, it is a past
participle.

If a verb is in its "ing" form and is not used as a subject
or object (as this would make it a gerund), it is a present participle.

The verb is the most important part of the sentence, and
knowing the difference between base forms, simple present forms, past
participles and present participles will form the basis for understanding how
different tenses are formed when speaking and writing the English language.